Pink Floyd - The Wall (1982)
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A depressed rock star constructs a psychological wall of isolation that eventually leads to a mental breakdown and a surreal confrontation with his own psyche.
The story
Pink is a depressed rock star touring the United States who is discovered in a near-catatonic state in his hotel room. The film explores the traumatic experiences that have brought him to this state, each represented as a "brick" in a psychological wall he has constructed around himself to isolate from the world. These memories include his father's death during World War II, an oppressive educational system, and his own troubled marriage. As his alienation and rage intensify, Pink fortifies his wall with materialistic possessions, eventually completing it and becoming trapped behind his own mental defenses.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Pink is a depressed rock star touring the United States, found near-catatonic in his hotel room. The film depicts his life as a series of 'bricks' in a psychological wall: his father's death in WWII, a hostile schoolteacher who humiliated him, and his wife's infidelity. After fortifying his wall with materialistic possessions and a violent outburst against a groupie, Pink completes the wall and loses his mind to metaphorical 'worms'. He hallucinates a fleshy carapace and envisions himself as a fascist orator leading a neo-Nazi rally in London. Reaching a breaking point, Pink rejects the wall and puts himself on trial in a surreal courtroom populated by writhing worms and grotesque figures. The judge, a giant pair of buttocks, sentences him to be exposed before his peers and orders the wall torn down. The wall explodes into rubble. While Pink's ultimate fate is unknown, children in reality clear the debris, while the final song shows people outside of walls battering their hearts against them.
- First release year
- 1982
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Alan Parker
- Writers
- Roger Waters · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Bob Geldof · Pink; Kevin McKeon · Young Pink; David Bingham · Little Pink; Christine Hargreaves · Pink's mother; Eleanor David · Pink's wife; Alex McAvoy · Teacher; Bob Hoskins · Rock manager; Michael Ensign · Hotel manager
- Genres
- live-action; adult animated; musical; surrealist drama
- Themes
- alienation; stardom; trauma; fascism; mental illness
- Tone and mood
- surrealist; downbeat; disquieting; depressing
- Premise and plot tags
- Allegory; Musical; Psychological Drama; Rock Opera
- Source material / true-story basis
- Pink Floyd's 1979 studio album The Wall
- Franchise connections
- Pink Floyd soundtracks
- Content notes
- Depression; Substance abuse; Child abuse
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews, with praise for its music and animation, and it has an established cult following among Pink Floyd fans.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 73% · review count: 30; Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 13
- Awards and nominations
- BAFTA · Best Original Song · Win; BAFTA · Best Sound · Win
- Production trivia
- The animation segments were directed by Gerald Scarfe.; Bob Geldof refused to shave his head for the role of Pink.; The symbol of the crossed hammers was adopted by the white supremacist group the Hammerskins in the late 1980s.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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